Alibaba and DHL Group are joining forces to bring artificial intelligence into the global freight process, aiming to make international trade faster and easier for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs).
The companies announced a memorandum of understanding at Alibaba’s CoCreate 2026 conference in Los Angeles. Under the agreement, DHL and Alibaba will explore how AI can support businesses throughout the entire trade process, from finding suppliers and sourcing products to obtaining freight quotes, booking shipments and managing cargo.
For many small businesses, international shipping can be complicated and time-consuming. Managing suppliers, comparing shipping rates, completing paperwork and arranging cargo across borders can require significant time and resources.
The companies said their partnership is designed to reduce that burden and allow small and medium-sized businesses to spend more time focusing on growth. Katja Busch, chief commercial officer at DHL, said the goal is to reduce the amount of paperwork and compliance work businesses must handle during international trade.
The first step in the partnership will be the integration of Accio, Alibaba’s no-code agentic AI platform, into the quotation and booking systems of DHL Global Forwarding. The integration will allow customers to receive real-time freight quotes and book cargo directly through the platform.
The move is expected to give businesses a more convenient way to manage important parts of the shipping process from a single digital platform. Alibaba President Kuo Zhang said AI could help smaller businesses access capabilities that have traditionally been available mainly to large importers.
By combining Accio with DHL’s logistics network, the companies aim to reduce some of the barriers that can make international markets difficult for smaller businesses to enter. Tim Robertson, head of accelerated digitalization at DHL Global Forwarding, said customers increasingly expect their shipping experience to be as simple and efficient as other parts of their business operations.
The agreement marks an early step in the companies’ efforts to explore how AI can reshape international trade and enable faster access to shipping services and a simpler path into global markets. While the initial focus is on freight quotes and bookings, the broader goal is to determine how AI can support businesses across the full trade journey.
